Process for manufacturing color-striped stamped detergent bars

ABSTRACT

A process for producing soap or detergent bars with curved stripes of a distinctive color by feeding a striped billet of soap or detergent into a die box so that the long axis of the billet is not coincident with the long axis of the die box when subjected to compression. This is accomplished by providing billets whose length is greater than the corresponding dimension of the die box.

United States Patent Murray Aug. 12, 1975 [54] PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING 2,965,946 12/1960 Sweet et a1. 264/337 COLOR STRIPED ST AMPED DETERGENT 3,159,699 12/ 1964 Sutphin 264/D1G. 66 BARS I 3,485,905 12/1969 Compa 264/75 3,676,538 7/1972 Patterson 264/75 [75] Inventor; Graeme Douglas Murray, Newcastle 3,769,225 10/1973 Matthaei 252/134 upon Tyne England FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company, 1 471 10/1972 south Afri a Cincinnati, Ohio 1,218,782 5/1960 France 264/75 [22] Filed' Aug. 1973 Primary ExaminerPhilip Anderson [21] Appl. No.: 386,655 Attorney, Agent, or FirmThomas H. OFlaherty;

Edmund F. Gebhardt; Forrest L. Collins [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 11, 1972 United Kingdom 37560/72 [57] ABSTRACT A process for producing soap or detergent bars with 52 us. Cl 264/245; 264/320 curved Stripes of a distinctive color y feeding a 511 Int. cm B29C 9/00 striped billet of p or detergent into a die box so 5 Field f Search 264/75 320 299 73 77 that the long axis of the billet is not coincident with 2 4 337 mg 252 90 134 the long axis of the die box when subjected to compression. This is accomplished by providing billets [56] Refe e Ci d whose length is greater than the corresponding dimension of the die box.

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WIIIII/I/l I/I/I/I/I PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING COLOR-STRIPED STAMPED DETERGENT BARS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a process of manufacturing stamped soap, soap-synthetic or synthetic detergent bars having stripes of at least one distinctive color, at least part of the said strips being curved, and, in particular, whose color stripes are curved in substantially the same way in successive bars produced from a stamping machine.

Various methods have been described in the art, for making soap and detergent bars (hereinafter described for convenience simply as soap bars) which comprise longitudinally disposed stripes or bands of different colored soap. Optionally the stripes or bands may be spirally disposed, centered upon the long axis (i.e., the axis along which the bars are extruded in the final stage of their manufacture) of the soap bars. According to the present invention, these color stripes can be curved, at least over part of the bar, in particular either in a single curve approximating an arc of a circle, or in a double reflexed curve, approximating sinusoidal form.

In the conventional process for making stamped soap bars, a rod of soap is extruded from a plodder and cut into lengths, known as billets. Generally the length of the billet is greater than its width or thickness, and the last two dimensions may well be the same, for instance, if the cross-section of the billet is circular, as is often the case. The billet is inserted sideways relative to its length, i.e., its dimension in the sense in which it was extruded, into a die box. The billet may be made longer than the length of the die box so that when forced into the die box, sections from at least one of its ends are cut off by the ends of the die box. These are discarded or recycled in the process.

In the other dimension the billet is narrower than the die box. When compressed by the dies the soap is forced to flow sideways to fill the cross-section of the die box completely. The billet is inserted centrally into the die box, i.e., with its long axis coincident with that of the die box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a process for manufacturing a soap (e.g., toilet soap) or detergent bar having stripes of at least one distinctive color, curved relative to the long axis of the bar, which comprises feeding into a die box a longitudinally, optionally spirally, striped billet of soap or detergent, whose length is greater than the corresponding dimension of the die box, the billet being so aligned when it is forced into the die box that its long axis is not coincident with the long axis of the die box at the instant when it is subjected to compression therein.

The billet can be aligned with its long axis at an acute angle to that of the die box. In this case, during stamping, the flow of the soap to fill the vacant, diagonally disposed spaces near either end of the die box results in the stripes, which were initially aligned with the length of the billet, being curved into an approximately sinusoidal shape. It is desirable, in order to maintain the strength of the stamped bars, that the grain of the soap, lying originally along the long axis of the billets, should remain nearly along the long axis of the stamped bars, and therefore the long axis of the billet should preferably be turned no more than out of alignment with that of the die box.

Alternatively the billet may be inserted into the die box with its long axis parallel with, but to one side of, the axis of the die box. In this case, especially if the side walls of the die box curve outwards or if the dies are deeply concave, the stripes, especially on the side of the bar where the side of the billet is more remote from the wall of the die box, will become curved in a single curve, approximating an arc of a circle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be made clearer by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein in the schematic FIGS. 1 to 3, the reference numeral .1 represents the die-box opening of a soap-stamping machine, 2 represents a soap billet aligned ready to be forced into the die box, 3 represents the center line (long axis) of the diebox opening, 4 represents the center line (long axis) of the billet.

FIG. 1 represents the normal arrangement, wherein the center lines 3 and 4 are parallel and will become concident when the billet has been forced into the die box.

FIG. 2 represents an arrangement according to the present invention wherein the billet is turned out of alignment with the die box. In this arrangement the angle 5 should preferably not exceed 45.

FIG. 3 represents an arrangement according to the invention wherein the billet is located with its center line parallel with that of the die box but to one side of it. In this example, the die box is formed with curved sidewalls.

In FIGS. 4 to 6 are shown plan views of examples of finished soap bars 6, made according to bar-stamping arrangements as exemplified in FIGS. 1 to 3. Striped regions are indicated by the shaded areas, 7.

FIG. 4 represents a soap bar made according to the normal bar-stamping arrangement as exemplified in FIG. 1. The striped regions of the bar are seen to be substantially rectilinear.

FIG. 5 exemplifies a soap bar made according to an arrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 2, in which the soap billet, 2, is turned out of alignment with the dye box, 1. The striped regions are seen to be formed in the shape of a shallow, extended sinusoidal curve or S-shape.

FIG. 6 exemplifies a soap bar made according to an arrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the soap billet, 2, is displaced from, but parallel to, the long axis, 4, of the dye box, 1. The striped regions of the bar are seen to be formed, generally, in the shape of arcs of a circle, the curvature of successive arcs diminishing towards the side of the bar corresponding to the side of the billet which was closest to the wall of the die-box during stamping. The striped regions are also seen to be more curved at the ends of the arcs.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for manufacturing a soap or detergent bar having stripes of at least one distinctive color, curved relative to the long axis of the bar, which comprises feeding into a die box a longitudinally striped billet of soap or detergent, whose length is greater than the corresponding dimension of the die box, the billet being so aligned when it is forced into the die box that its long axis is not coincident with the long axis of the die box at the instant when it is subjected to compression therein, said long axis of the billet at said instant lying in a plane of a cross-section of the die box taken at right angles to the axis defined by the center of the open ends of the die box.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the billet is in- 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the billet is inserted into the die box with its long axis parallel to but not coincident with the long axis of the die box.

4 The process of claim 1 wherein the billet of soap ser'ted into the die box with its long axis at an angle not 5 or detergent is spirally fed into the die box.

exceeding 45 to the long axis of the die box. 

1. A PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A SOAP OR DETERGENT BAR HAVING STRIPES OF AT LEAST ONE DISTINCTIVE COLOR, CURVED RELATIVE TO THE LONG AXIS OF THE BAR, WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING INTO A DIE BOX A LONGITUDINALLY STRIPED BILLET OF SOAP OR DETERGENT, WHOSE LENGTH IS GREATER THAN THE CORRESPONDING DIMENSION OF THE DIE BOX, THE BILLET BEING SO ALIGNED WHEN IT IS FORCED INTO THE DIE BOX THAT ITS LONG AXIS IS NOT COINCIDENT WITH LONG AXIS OF THE DIE BOX AT THE INSTANT WHEN IT IS SUBJECTED TO COMPRESSION THEREIN, SAID LONG AXIS OF THE BILLET AT SAID INSTANT LYING IN A PLANE OF A CROSS-SECTION OF THE DIE BOX TAKEN AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS DEFINED BY THE CENTER OF THE OPEN ENDS OF THE DIE BOX.
 2. The process of claim 1 wherein the billet is inserted into the die box with its long axis at an angle not exceeding 45* to the long axis of the die box.
 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the billet is inserted into the die box with its long axis parallel to but not coincident with the long axis of the die box.
 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the billet of soap or detergent is spirally fed into the die box. 